Stocks end spectacular quarter

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks closed mixed Friday, with the Dow and S&P 500 ending their best first quarter in over a decade, as investors weighed a report on consumer spending and a boost in the eurozone bailout fund.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 66 points, or 0.5%, to end at 13,212. The S&P 500 (SPX) added 5 points, or 0.4%, to 1.408. The Nasdaq (COMP) edged down 4 points, or 0.1%, to 3,090.

Friday's gains capped a stellar three months for stocks, with the Dow and S&P posting the biggest first-quarter gain since 1998. Despite Friday's decline, the Nasdaq had its best first quarter since 1991, according to the Stock Trader's Almanac.

For the quarter, the Dow gained 8.1%, the S&P 500 advanced 12% and the Nasdaq rose a whopping 19% since New Year's Day.

The Dow and S&P 500 are at their highest levels since 2008, while the Nasdaq is at its highest point since 2000.

The gains were driven by improving economic data in the United States and easing concerns about the debt crisis in Europe. Stocks have also been supported by expectations the Federal Reserve will continue to support the economy.

"That's been enough to put the risk back on in the first part of this year versus last year," said Peter Tuz, a portfolio manager at Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Va.

Schwartz said the market is becoming more volatile as investors gear up for corporate reports due out later next month. But he suggested that stocks could find some support as the recent rally draws so-called retail investors off the sidelines.

"You're starting to see the market move a bit," he said. "But we're waiting for more volume to come in to support the rally we had over last three months."

Meanwhile, traders said institutional investors have been making big moves recently as they rebalance portfolios ahead of quarterly statements to clients.

"Hedge fund and mutual fund managers have used the last two weeks to get their portfolios competitive," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist with Prudential Financial in Newark, N.J. "This is a quarter in which you did not want to be lagging the market performance."

U.S. stocks bounced around Thursday and ended little changed. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed in the red for the third straight day, while the Dow broke a two-day losing streak.

Companies: Shares of Apple were slightly lower a day after a heavily anticipated report on working conditions at supplier Foxconn's China facilities was released. The report documents dozens of major labor-rights violations, including excessive overtime, unpaid wages and salaries that aren't enough to cover basic living expenses.

Shares of credit card payment processor Global Payments (GPN) fell 9% after the company disclosed a major data breach that could involve more than 10 million card numbers.

Representatives from MasterCard (MA, Fortune 500) and Visa (V, Fortune 500) confirmed that a breach has potentially compromised credit and debit card information from all of the major card brands.

On Friday, retailer Finish Line (FINL) said it earned 81 cents per share last quarter -- a number in line with analyst estimates. The company reported better-than-expected revenue, but shares tumbled.

Research in Motion (RIMM) shares were higher even after the BlackBerry-maker missed expectations on revenues and earnings. The company said it's considering strategic alternatives, and one director left its board.